The Royals are getting a new ballpark. I wasn’t sure what punctuation to use after that sentence. An exclamation point, suggesting excitement? A question mark, noting that despite the length of yesterday’s press conference there weren’t a lot of hard details, and given how long this saga has already stretched it is probably premature to suggest this is the actual finish line? A period is probably best, taking emotion out of the statement.
Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death. His passing is a celebrity death I can remember exactly where I was when I got the news. More significantly, it was the first celebrity death that genuinely floored me. Sometimes it still does. Prince seemed mysterious and eternal. He wasn’t supposed to fall into the trap of using opioids to manage pain that lead to an accidental death like far too many in this country.
Tomlinson’s Wake - Randy Wayne White Another book from Steve Donoghue’s Best of ’25 lists. And another one that didn’t quite work for me. Apparently the main characters in this book have appeared in previous books by White, so perhaps not having a history with them affected my enjoyment. The opening pages felt a little Carl Hiaasen-ish, and while there were quirks throughout, it shifted away from the non-stop bonkers-fest that so many Hiaasen books are.
A focus on family in today’s post. Prom Saturday was L’s junior prom. Originally the plan was for her and a group of girlfriends to go together. A month ago we rented a sprinter van that would hold up to eight, with plans for everyone to gather, get ready, and do pictures at our house before the dance. Then three weeks ago one of the girls got a date for the night and dropped out of the group because his circle of friends does not overlap much with her’s.
A pretty solid playlist this week. Two songs I’m especially jazzed about. [open.spotify.com/playlist/...](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5ULdIllOsaPvq3bHDqmJN7?si=e64ab5db785143e7) “ATTEMPT A CRASH LANDING - THEME” - The Twilight Sad Kind of a pretentious title, between the name itself and the CAPS. But this song kicks ass so I’ll allow it. A proper track to kick off a playlist. “Conflagration Mindset” - Cola A stark, mechanical piece that sounds heavily indebted to Radiohead. Singer Tim Darcy wrote the lyrics about his experience having his home destroyed in last year’s LA fires, which makes it hit a little harder.
Chart Week: April 10, 1982 Song: “Juke Box Hero” - Foreigner Chart Position: #26, 9th week on the chart. This was the song’s peak. There are songs, albums, and bands that are foundational to our love of music but get forgotten as we age. We go through phases, tastes shift, and over four or five decades pile up huge collections of music that bury some of those early interests.
I had a very quiet weekend. L scooped ice cream both Friday and Saturday nights. She had some friends over Sunday, one of whom got promposaled here. S went down to Cincinnati for M’s sorority Ladies’ Day on Saturday, spending the night. Sunday L and S went to a bridal shower for L’s “god cousin.” C even had visitors at IU, her aunt and two cousins spending Saturday afternoon with her.
For the second straight week we lock into a general vibe through this entire playlist. Rather than being reserved, though, this one is bright and full of the vibrance of spring. [open.spotify.com/playlist/...](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2syOK1WY3q1SkcAODbaVJn?si=7cf573799e134e48) “Pay No Mind” - Weird Nightmare Not sure if this sounds more like The Knack or the rock revival bands of the early 2000s. “Receive” - youbet The latest in our ongoing series of female fronted bands that sound straight out of the mid-Nighties.
A big ol’ bag of links to get you through the day. An amazing, super in-depth profile of Robyn. Listening to her music, you’re not enveloped in the minutiae of her emotional universe, as you are with someone like Taylor Swift. Rather, Robyn will extract from her universe the simplest of plots—a pure love, thwarted—and then expand it to encompass everything. Her voice, tensile and clear, is an ideal delivery system for longing; it makes me picture melted sugar hardening on ice.
Final Four Well, at least UConn lost. That’s the only good takeaway from the men’s Final Four for a neutral observer. The championship game was an ugly slog. Michigan was clearly the better team all night, but was missing easy shots, then forced things by taking terrible shots. The teams combined to miss nearly twice as many shots as they made (42 shots made, 81 missed). Sooooo many sloppy turnovers. Wildly inconsistent officiating.
My Easter weekend extends through today, so I’ll save the weekend notes for tomorrow and instead get back on the Reaching For The Stars horse after too long of a break. Chart Week: April 5, 1986 Song: “What You Need” - INXS Chart Position: #6, 12th week on the chart. Peaked at #5 the week of April 12. I’ve been writing this series long enough that there are several recurring themes.
Some quick Final Four thoughts. I was downtown Monday evening and the place was deserted. However, preparations were well underway for this weekend’s events.[1] One popular restaurant had shut down early and was getting a thorough floor cleaning. A nearby hotel was having its exterior power washed. I imagine similar work was being done all over downtown Indy. Sadly the weather is going to turn just when the games get going, falling from near 80° today into the 30s at night and barely 50° during the day.
We are going to start out heavy but quickly fall into a mood. Seems appropriate for Easter weekend. [open.spotify.com/playlist/...](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1MNQcI5gUVuNJu5V76OSSi?si=b247c3ab094449bc) “The House of I” - The Afghan Whigs The Whigs released a couple new covers earlier this year. Now brand new original music. They still sound great. “It’s A Beautiful Life” - Francis of Delirium Glad our only Luxembourg act has some staying power. “Javelin” - Kevin Morby As promised two weeks ago, the second excellent new track from one of KC’s finest.
I read three-plus books on spring break. I also had three blurbs written up before break that I should have posted two weeks ago. Combine those and you get an extra large helping of my reading notes. Bright Lights Big City - Jay McInerney I never read this, as it came out just a couple years before I would have been interested in it. I remember when the movie came out and people were shocked the Michael J.
Movies, Shows, Etc. The Diplomat, season three I’m not sure why I put this off so long, this season debuted last fall. Once I started, I figured I would knock it out in four or five nights. However, the early episodes were a little slow and drifted towards the soapy side, as this show can do at some times. Honestly, I was about to abandon it during episode three. It finally found its footing in episode four and I was again hooked.
I only watched a few minutes of basketball here and there over our spring break. It wasn’t that I couldn’t watch; CBS was available on our TV and I’m guessing the one quasi-sports bar on the site could get other games. My enthusiasm for the tournament was low to begin with and I figured I’d rather sit in the sun and read, or go to dinner, than sit inside and watch the games.
It was a spring break different from any other we’ve taken. Turned out it was also one of the our best spring break trips, in no way because of who was not with us. First off, it was straight-up weird traveling with just one kid. Much different than when we traveled without M the last two springs. It kept feeling like we were missing or forgetting something. Only checking one bag?
[open.spotify.com/playlist/...](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/12t00IxHlbIcqfDI9luYE7?si=4c8705a007bd4e91) “Vacation” - Touch Girl Apple Blossom We are off for our spring break tomorrow. This song is more about getting your heart broken than sitting in the sun, but it is jangly enough to evoke the right feelings. “The Early Days Of Love” - Brigitte Calls Me Baby Their album came out last week. There are at least five really good tracks, meaning I 100% would have bought in back in the CD era.
As expected, I’ve changed some of my Final Four picks. After the initial run, I realized I can’t have three Big 10 schools coming to Indy. Every time I’ve watched Illinois this year, their games have been awesome. The most potent offense in the country is a lot of fun to watch. Their band of Euros and an unsung PG from Kansas score almost effortlessly. Their general Euro-ness does cause some occasional bad defense, though.
A couple college basketball related links as we prep for the tournament to launch in full force tomorrow. A great story about a moment in college basketball history I knew nothing about. The video clips, especially, are a time warp to another era. That was the winter I was discovering college basketball, which means I’m extra romantic about it. There was something special about that time when it was still very much a regional sport and teams like Indiana State could be total mysteries to everyone outside Terre Haute.